Written by Mr. Mark Sumner (Teacher on the Grade 9 Tech Block team)
After the first bell goes at 8:55 each morning, grade 9 students start trickling into the Performing Arts Room and find a place to settle in for morning announcements and devotions. During this time, Mr. Hosmar, Mr. Rock, or Mr. Sumner challenge and encourage the students in their journey to discover God’s purpose for their lives and to think more deeply about the choices they make and the influence they have.
This year, we are trying something a little different with our grade 9 students during their morning “Tech Block” class. While they may feel a little bit like guinea pigs, here are the ultimate goals we have for this time together:
- that students develop a healthy culture of learning with their classmates
- that each student personally experiences creating beautiful and meaningful work, and
- that students get to know the tools resources they will continue to use throughout their time here at London Christian High.
Following this opening time all together, the students break up into three groups meeting with either Mr. Hosmar, Mr. Rock, or Mr. Sumner to learn the important tools and skills that they will later use in our course project and in their other courses as well. So far, students have been learning design concepts in preparing work that they can build in the shop. They have been learning how to use the tools in the shop and shop safety. Finally, they have been learning visual design and software that they can use to create work for the laser cutter and the 3d printer.
For the course project, we have partnered with an organization, Urban Roots, and students will use their knowledge to design and create harvest boxes that will benefit them in their work, and will also create countertop compost boxes that will promote the work Urban Roots is doing and encourage others to make choices that will benefit the environment.
